Once In A Lifetime
by MissCEAFord
Summary: Zoe and Max have the most weird, wonderful and utterly confusing relationship but with Max wanting to shout it from the trees and Zoe wanting to keep it Huss Huss how will it all end? I'd appreciate it if you could leave a review :)
1. Chapter 1

Zoe impatiently tapped her fingernails on the reception desk. Max had left well over an hour ago and still not returned.

"Patient in cubical four demanding that she is seen by a doctor. All doctors are busy so I thought you could have a look at her?"

Ethan noticed the tired state Zoe was in and instantly regretted asking.

"Fine, I'm on my way" Zoe sighed "just let me know when the wonderer returns, Louise"

Sure enough just as Zoe had turned her back Max speeded round the corner, narrowly missing Tess.

"Ethan, I'll be with you as soon as I can"

Zoe watched Max approach her but couldn't help a smile escaping her lips when she saw the mouthful he was getting from Tess about health and safety rules.

When their eyes met, Zoe quickly turned away and tried her best to begin a conversation with Louise.

"Here you go boss" Max handed Zoe the notes with a cheeky smile.

"Last time I looked, I wasn't your boss Max"

"Well, I prefer to obey the more beautiful and softer woman of the department"

Max always could charm the birds out of the trees and getting out of a scrub down by Tess was only the latest example.

"Thank you" Zoe returned the smile but let her eyes fall down to her watch "it only took you what? An hour and five minutes"

"It was an hour if you minus the time I spent talking to Tess" Max scratched the back of his head as Zoe rolled her eyes

"Polite conversation was it?" Zoe snatched the notes off Max and began reading them

Zoe's eyes narrowed as she began to read the small print, still noticing Max's presence in front of her.

"Yes max, what can I do for you?"

"A lot of things but….." max smiled as he caught Zoe eye

"Professionally speaking of course" Zoe smiled at the scilence

**The Pub**

"What's up with you face ache" Louise commented as Max joined her, Robyn and lofty at a table in the pub

Zoe's eyes glanced over at the table as she heard Louise's comment.

"Isn't it obvious" Robyn laughed "he's still sopping over this mystery woman of his"

"Yeah, the digital individual" lofty smiled as he brought his glass to his mouth

Alarm bells had already started ringing in Zoe's head as she slowly sipped her wine.

"Zoe are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" Zoe gave a reassuring smile to Ash

"You just look a bit tense" Ash commented as Zoe brought her attention back to the ongoing conversation at max's table.

"I'm going" Max decided as he left the table and made his way outside

"Zoe, are you sure you're ok?" Ash asked

"Actually i have a bit of a sore head, I'm going to go" Zoe made her excuse, she couldn't get out of there fast enough

**Outside**

"Please tell me she doesn't know anything"

Zoe's head was leaning against the side of the pub door as her and Max's eyes met.

"No, there clueless"

"There not quite clueless Max" Zoe commented as she began walking towards him

Noticing his shaking state, Zoe rested her hand on his arm. "What happened to you?"

"I fell for Zoe Hanna, from what I've head Noel saying that in itself should be in the medical dictionary" Max tried to smile as he threw is cigarette on the ground and began to walk away

"Stop" Zoe tried her best to block Max's path "we need to talk about this"

"Zo you're the one that from morning light has been reminding me that we've already talked about this"

"Maybe we haven't talked enough, god knows it's not my strong point" Zoe tried to laugh

"Noel also commented on that" Max looked at the ground, trying to hide his smile

"Come here" Zoe opened her arms "I don't usually do hugs, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity" she smiled

**Inside**

Robyn watched Zoe and Max threw the pub window, at a distance. She was that happy that Max was confiding in someone, that she didn't even notice it was the woman who was breaking him at the same time.


	2. Chapter 2

"I think when you left it hit me that I more than liked you"

Zoe and Max where now squished on the sofa in the office Zoe shares with Ash, With both their hands wrapped around a large cup of coffee which was about the only think keeping them awake.

"The final straw was when I realised you didn't love me"

Zoe's eyes closed, falsely giving the impression that she was disinterested in what Max had to say. Max stopped as Zoe pushed herself up from the rather uncomfortable sofa and began pacing the room.

"it's not that I don't love you it's just….I'm just….it's complicated" Zoe struggled to find the correct words to describe the awkward situation she had got herself into by inviting Max back to her office for the chat he so desperately wanted to have.

"Max I don't understand what you want me to do except listen and feel awkwardly sorry!"

"One more night"

"What?" Zoe laughed and she fell back on the sofa before turning to Max "you know I can't do that"

"However complicated it is you can surly give me one more night to just lie beside you"

Zoe opened her mother to protest but settled for one of those confused looks Max was getting so used to.

"Fine"

Max was the first to awake the next morning. He had lay wide awake watching Zoe sleep for most the night before finally falling asleep at 5am. The small sofa was rather uncomfortable but he didn't care, he had the woman of his dream lying beside him, that's all that matters.

Max wrote a note and left it beside her before placing a final kiss on her forehead. Leaving the small office Max merely missed bumping into Ash who seemed to have more important things on his mind.

"Zoe" Ash questioned as he opened the office door

Zoe immediately awoke, checking to see if Max had left.

"Did you sleep here all night?"

"Yeah, I just had some admin to do"

"It could have waited"

"Your probably right" Zoe agreed as she rubbed the back of her head "but the iron lady wouldn't have agreed"

Ash laughed, immediately stopping as he noticed the two coffee cups on Zoe's desk.

"Company?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow

"What? No!"

Zoe left the office and walked downstairs, catching Max's eye for more than a split second.

"Zoe" Ash called after her

Zoe finally stopped and turned round, frowning as Ash slid a note into her hand.

"Please don't use my office in future"

Zoe watched Ash walk away and stood in the middle of reception with a confused look on her face until she read the note.

_"__Thank you for last night  
>love MJ x"<em>

Zoe cursed under her breath and momentarily closed her eyes as the bang of the office door echoed through the emergency department.

"Who's MJ?" Charlie questioned

"Who?" Zoe raised an eyebrow at Charlie hoping she had hid the note from him just in time.

"Doesn't matter, patient in cubical three" Charlie smiled "I need you to have a look at her"

"Right" Zoe smiled as she caught Max's eye from behind Charlie

"And Zoe"

Zoe stopped and closed her eyes before pasting a smile on her face and Turing back to face Charlie, knowing what was to come.

"I need to keep you on the straight and narrow"

Charlie simply held a small paper bin as he stared at the crumpled note that was still held tightly in Zoe's hand. While looking at the ground Zoe threw the note in making a mental note to come back later and destroy it.

Nobody was to know that MJ stood for Mary Jane. The name of her FORMER porter lover.

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews on the last chapter, I always love reading them! Please keep reviewing so I can keep updating****J**


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